Grading the Seahawks pick of Phil Haynes in round four

The Seahawks are never not in need of offensive line help, it seems. In round four of the 2019 NFL Draft, Seattle took guard Phil Haynes.

The Seahawks could be set at offensive tackle for the next few years. That depends on how they feel about Germain Ifedi. Maybe they will pick up Ifedi’s fifth-year option and maybe Seattle won’t. That all depends on how well Ifedi plays in 2019. But Seattle needs guard help for the coming seasons and this is why they chose Phil Haynes from Wake Forest in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Haynes is a large human. He is six-foot-four-inches and weights more than 320 pounds. His strengths fit well with what Seattle wants to do: Run the ball a lot. And that is why this pick by John Schneider and Pete Carroll is very good. A team should want to fit a player into their scheme and not the other way around. Haynes fits in Seattle.

Can Haynes run block? Yes. Is he decent as pass protection? Yes. He probably won’t go to a lot of Pro Bowls like Seattle’s first fourth-round pick in 2019, Gary Jennings. But teams don’t need Pro Bowl picks every choice because reaching for that would end up being unsuccessful. Every team needs role players, especially at offensive guard, and Haynes is that.

Haynes shouldn’t be expected to start in 2019 as Seattle has D.J. Fluker and Mike Iupati penciled in. But both those guys are on one-year deals. By 2020 Haynes could be a starter in Seattle. And he could be a starter for the next half-decade.

Offensive linemen picked in the middle rounds of a draft should be expected to make the team and possibly be backups. Haynes could be much more than that. There is no reason to believe he won’t start in Seattle one day.

Grade: B